


Theory of Relativity

by Maverick



Category: Boa vs. Python (2004), SGA fused with Boa vs. Python and Thoughtcrimes, Stargate Atlantis, Thoughtcrimes (2003)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2014-05-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 15:08:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1652972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maverick/pseuds/Maverick
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something funky is going down on Athos Island and the Scooby Gang (Brendan, Freya and Emmett) come to investigate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Theory of Relativity

**Author's Note:**

> Sparked by the summary for Presumed Dead by Hugh Holton, part of the Larry Cole series, which can be found at the end of the story. This pairing of Emmett/Brendan are those from my [Constricted Universe](http://thepokey.popullus.net/constricted_cover.html), but you don't have to be familiar with that story in order to understand this one. All you need to know is that Brendan and Emmett are together and Emmett has helped out on cases in the past.
> 
> Thanks as always to **pollitt** for beta and to the Literal SGA folks for a cool challenge.

Brendan was all for interdepartmental cooperation, but why the DEA thought Freya's special talents could help them solve what appeared to be a simple drug bust gone bad was beyond him. The fact that said drug bust occurred in Chicago during the coldest February on record wasn't a selling point either. And fine, the fact that he'd be stuck in another city during Valentine's Day rankled him a bit, not that he'd ever admit it, especially to Emmett. But hell, what was the point of actually being in a long term committed relationship if you didn't get to reap the benefits every once in a while. And for as focused as Emmett was on his research, he had a romantic streak that Brendan found rather endearing. Okay, more than endearing. It made him feel like the luckiest bastard on earth. Another point he'd probably never share with Emmett except on threat of death or Betty.  
  
So it really didn't surprise him when he invited Emmett to tag along to Chicago with them. Freya just chuckled when Emmett showed up at the airport. Then Emmett pulled out his iPod loaded with episodes of _The Office_ \--an obsession that Freya and Emmett shared and one that Brendan just didn't get. Freya was usually too stubborn to bring her own music or videos to distract her from the cacophony of a packed airplane, but with Emmett along to keep Brendan company, she'd let herself have that little bit of peace. Emmett knowing what Freya needed was just another reason that Brendan loved him. The fact that the two most important people in his life genuinely liked each other and looked out for each other as well as mercilessly teased him made him happier than he'd ever imagined himself being.  
  
After they checked into their hotel, Emmett took it upon himself to go out and find the best authentic Chicago pizza. Brendan knew Emmett was purposely giving him and Freya time to review their files before the interviews in the morning. An hour later, Emmett set three different pizza boxes on the table and kissed the top of Brendan's head. The paper in front of him caught his eye. "You guys are investigating the director of the National Science and Space Museum?"  
  
If it was anyone else, Brendan would worry about sharing NSA secrets, but he trusted Emmett and it certainly wasn't the first time that his lover had inquired about a case and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. He looked up at Emmett. "Yep. This Dr. McKay guy doesn't seem like the drug kingpin type but I've learned never to presume anything."  
  
Freya looked over at Emmett as some kind of realization dawned. "Well that actually makes a lot of sense. I thought his picture resembled you."  
  
Brendan looked from Emmett to Freya knowing that something unspoken has just passed between them. "Hi, unable to read minds here. Share with the class."  
  
Emmett nodded at Freya to give her the okay to let Brendan know what she read. "Emmett knows the director of the Museum. In fact, he's related to him."  
  
Brendan motioned for Emmett to sit down in the chair next to him. "What?"  
  
"We're cousins. Our mothers were twins."  
  
"Shit. That complicates things."  
  
Emmett shook his head. "No it doesn't. You'll do your job just like you always do."  
  
"But I don't..."  
  
"Don't even finish that sentence Dean. The two of you will conduct your investigation. I'll stay out of it. But I will tell you that even though I haven't seen Rodney in well over ten years, I know that he's not cooking up or selling drugs out of his museum. Rodney thinks the majority of the people in the world are idiots and he'd never do anything to make them any more stupid than they already are."  
  
Freya asked the obvious question even though Brendan was sure she could read the answer in Emmett's head. "If you haven't seen him, how can you be so sure?"  
  
"I got Rodney to toke pot once in college. He ate entire loaf of white bread, told his advising professor that the comb-over wasn't really a good look for him and jumped into the fountain at the center of campus because the coins at the bottom were shiny. When he slept it off, he berated me for a good two hours about how the brain cells that he lost the night before could mean the difference between life and death for everyone on Earth and if he couldn't figure out how to solve some problem that he hadn't even thought of yet, he was blaming me."  
  
Brendan shook his head. "Great this interview sounds like it's going to be loads of fun.  
  
"Rodney's arrogant, rude, and bad with people."  
  
Brendan couldn't help himself. "So you guys really are related."  
  
"Fuck you, Dean." Emmett laughed and kicked Brendan under the table. "But he's also incapable of telling a lie. Hell, Freya could sit this one out, even with your rudimentary interrogation skills, you'd be able to read his face."  
  
Brendan figured he deserved that one. "So I have an idea."  
  
Emmett looked to Freya. "Should we be scared?"  
  
"No, I agree with Brendan. I think you should go with us tomorrow. I think I'll be able to get a more clear reading from him if he's not immediately on the defensive."  
  
Brendan looked from Freya and then to Emmett. "What am I thinking now?"  
  
Freya laughed. "Yes, you do have the two best partners in the world."  
  
"That's not what I was thinking."  
  
Emmett laughed and threw open the first pizza box. "Quit pouting Dean, and let's eat."  
  
Brendan was too hungry to call him on the pouting remark. He'd make sure that Emmett regretted it later.  
  
When they were alone, Emmett distracted Brendan from his revenge. And really, Emmett's mouth on his cock was worth a little teasing. Not that he'd ever admit to it. Once they were both sated and sleepy, Brendan asked Emmett what had been on his mind all evening. "Why didn't you tell me you had a cousin?"  
  
Emmett ran his fingers across Brendan's chest, settling over his heart. "Cousins, actually. Because I hadn't seen nor talked to either one of them since our mothers' deaths. Jeannie's busy with her family in Canada and Rodney could never understand why I'd waste my time on a soft science."  
  
Brendan turned so he was facing Emmett. "Soft science?"  
  
Emmett shrugged. "In Rodney's world, pretty much anything that doesn't require or revolve around things going boom."  
  
"What you're telling me is he doesn't appreciate your really big snake?"  
  
"You know the fact that he's my cousin makes the innuendo in your statement all the more disturbing."  
  
Brendan laughed and punched Emmett's shoulder. "You know that's not what I meant. He doesn't appreciate Betty and what you're trying to do with her."  
  
"When you put it that way, then no, he doesn't. He thought it was a waste of my intellect."  
  
Leaning over, Brendan kissed Emmett's shoulder where he had punched it minutes before. "I'm sorry. I know how important your research is."  
  
Emmett rubbed his thumb across Brendan's pulse point. "It's okay. It's just who Rodney is. And the thing of it is, if and when I perfect the universal antivenin, Rodney will be the first in line to congratulate me."  
  
"You really don't think he has anything to do with the drug case or the people who have disappeared do you?"  
  
Smiling, Emmett settled against Brendan's side. "I really don't. And I think you'll like him once you get to know him. He grows on you."  
  
"Like you?"  
  
Emmett rubbed his stubble against Brendan's shoulder. "You adored me from the start and not just because of my antivenin."  
  
"That's true." Brendan couldn't resist, he waggled his eyebrows. "It was because of your big snake."  
  
Emmett groaned. "Why do I sleep with you again?"  
  
"Because you love me."  
  
"It's a damn good thing isn't it."  
  
Brendan nodded against Emmett's chest. "Yes, yes it is."  


~*~*~*~*~ 

When they arrived at the Museum the next morning, they hadn't expected to find Rodney pinned against a wall with a knife to his throat.  
  
"You will sign the land over to us, Dr. McKay or your replacement will."  
  
Brendan had his gun out and drawn, but Emmett held up his hand and told him to wait. Then Brendan forgot to breathe as Emmett sauntered across the room to the guy with the knife. "You know, your argument is flawed. I mean sure you could kill him. Lord knows you wouldn't be the first to have that impulse. But do you really think you'll ever get close enough to the next guy in line for his job when he finds out his predecessor bled out in his own museum."  
  
The assailant turned to face Emmett, just in time for Emmett's elbow to smash into his Adam's apple. Emmett kicked the knife away when it fell to the floor and kicked the asshole who had been wielding it for good measure.  
  
Freya called the local authorities as Brendan secured the suspect. He watched as Emmett comforted Rodney in his own special way.  
  
"Emmett."  
  
"Rodney."  
  
Rodney ran his hand across his throat as if to check for damage. "Long time no see."  
  
Emmett shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood."  
  
"Fuck. I need to sit down. What are you doing here? And why to you have federal agents with you? What have you gone and done now Emmett?"  
  
Emmett led Rodney over to the bench across the hall. "Actually that's the question we're here to ask you."  
  
"What did I do? You mean besides nearly getting my throat cut? Is this about the whole trumped up drug investigation?"  
  
Emmett nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry if Sergeant Bates didn't meet his quota this month, but I am not nor have I ever been a drug dealer. I'm an astrophysicist not a chemist and my only addictions are coffee and classic Star Trek. And don't think I haven't realized you didn't answer my question. Please tell me you aren't working for the U.S. government now? You're not hiring out your snake are you?"  
  
Emmett laughed. "No, I'm not. I'm here in an unofficial capacity and for your benefit. Freya, Brendan, come over here and meet my cousin."  
  
Brendan handcuffed the suspect around a column in the main entrance of the museum and walked with Freya over to Emmett.  
  
"Agent Brendan Dean, Freya McAllister, meet my cousin Dr. M. Rodney McKay."  
  
"You had to throw the M. in there."  
  
Brendan watched amused as Emmett and Rodney lobbed words like tennis balls.  
  
"It is your name."  
  
"It's your name too."  
  
"Don't you dare."  
  
"Oh, you mean your little g-men friends here don't know your first name is..."  
  
"Rodney."  
  
"Meredith."  
  
Holy shit. Brendan looked at Emmett. "Meredith? Your first name is Meredith?  
  
Emmett let out a breath and glared at Rodney. "Now you know why I go by Emmett. And his name is Meredith too."  
  
Freya looked from one to another. "You're both named Meredith?"  
  
Emmett shrugged. "Our mothers had a wacky sense of humor. Both our sisters were named Jeannie too."  
  
"Which is Emmett's way of saying our mothers were warped beyond comprehension. And again, what are you all doing here?"  
  
Before anyone could answer, the police came and carted the suspect away. Once all the questions about the perp had been answered, Rodney turned back to the three of them and crossed his arms against his chest, waiting for his answer.  
  
Freya extended her hand to him. "We are here to help with the DEA investigation and figure out if and how it relates to the disappearances on the island on your Museum's grounds."  
  
"Well as you've already learned from reading my mind, one has nothing to do with the other. And you might like the island, you'd be free of all the static of the city out there."  
  
Brendan played dumb. "Reading your mind?"  
  
Rodney pointed his thumb at Freya. "She's a telepath. And to answer your next questions. No I'm not one myself, but it's not the first time I've had my mind probed. I know what it feels like."  
  
Brendan looked to Emmett. Emmett closed his eyes and nodded before turning his attention to Rodney. "I wondered if you'd pick up on it. Sometimes you are kinda clueless."  
  
"It's not something you ever really forget."  
  
"Ain't that the truth," Emmett said with a smile to Freya.  
  
Brendan made a mental note to ask Emmett about that one later.  
  
"I'll take you out to the island if you want."  
  
"Let's go." Freya answered for all of them.  
  
Brendan wasn't sure what he was expecting when they walked across a swaying rope bridge. But the ornate altar and the pair of way too under-dressed co-eds chanting at its base certainly wasn't it.  
  
"I thought I told you two to at least bring blankets. Having the both of you freeze to death out here is all I need."  
  
"It's not going to happen today, Dr. McKay."  
  
Brendan was pretty sure they weren't talking about freezing.  
  
"I gathered that."  
  
"Thank you for letting us try." First one girl then the other approached Rodney and touched their heads to his. "We could not ask for a better guardian of the light. We shall sing your name among the stars."  
  
Rodney turned several shades of red as they walked across the bridge hand-in-hand.  
  
Freya was the first to speak after the two girls left. "You were right, it's very peaceful out here. I can't even tell I'm still in a city."  
  
Freya's voiced seemed to bring Rodney around again. "Something about the island blocks it. It's the perfect place for meditation, if you're into that mumbo jumbo I mean."  
  
Brendan sensed there was something going on here, but Freya signaled for him not to pry. "I don't know about the rest of you, but while this might be great for mediation, it's fucking freezing."  
  
Emmett and Freya laughed.  
  
"You can come back tomorrow if you want, it's supposed to be warmer."  
  
"We'd like that," Freya said as she took Rodney's hand in hers and started for the bridge.  
  
Brendan looked at Emmett. "Any idea what just went on there?"  
  
"Not a clue."  
  
When they got back inside the museum, Brendan had Emmett distract Rodney so he could have a chat with Freya. "So what's going on, partner?"  
  
"He doesn't have anything to do with the drug deals and he's not responsible for the disappearances on the island, but he knows what's going on."  
  
"Something we need to be worried about?" God, he really didn't want to have to arrest Emmett's cousin.  
  
"Not from Rodney. Whatever it is, it's very personal and very painful, but tinged with joy. I am concerned about the perp from earlier, or rather his boss. I'm pretty sure whoever he works for is responsible for the drugs. They want the island because it's jurisdiction free."  
  
"How does that work?"  
  
Freya smiled. "The knife guy wasn't the brightest bulb but he was projecting big time. Something about the charter of Chicago making the island a separate entity and therefore not governed by laws of the city."  
  
"So the perfect place to cook up meth."  
  
"That's my thinking. The name his mind was screaming over and over again was Wraith."  
  
Brendan patted Freya on her shoulder. "Good work as usual partner. I'll call the info into Sergeant Bates and hopefully that will crack open the case for him."  
  
Freya nodded. "I don't think the disappearances are a police matter though Brendan. I don't know what's going on but the island doesn't feel like a crime scene to me."  
  
"You were really at peace out there, weren't you?"  
  
Nodding again, Freya smiled. "I may have to take Rodney up on his offer."  
  
"Only if you promise not to disappear on me."  
  
Freya nudged Brendan's arm with her shoulder. "You'd miss me, huh?"  
  
"No, of course not. I just don't want to break someone new in."  
  
"Very funny. Let's go find Emmett and Rodney. I kinda fear what kind of trouble the two of them could get into."  
  
Brendan laughed. "You mean the Merediths'?"  
  
"I'd be careful with that. You might be spending Valentine's Day alone after all."  
  
"But Meredith?"  
  
"I know and here I thought Freya was a strange name." 

~*~*~*~*~

  
Despite Brendan's best intentions, he really couldn't just leave it alone. "Meredith, huh?"  
  
"You aren't gonna let this go are you?"  
  
Brendan licked his lips and placed Emmett's hand on his cock. "I could be persuaded with the right incentive."  
  
Cupping Brendan's groin, Emmett bent down to kiss him. "I like the way you think, Dean."  
  
"So McKay goes by his middle name, why don't you go by yours? Is it Rodney too?"  
  
"No, thank God. It's Steven. But do I look like a Steve to you?"  
  
Brendan shook his head. "Nope. You're an Emmett. Of course now, I'll have to give up the fantasy of being with a one named wonder like Sting or Bono."  
  
"I think you'll learn to live with it."  
  
Laughing, Brendan curled up against Emmett's side. "If it makes you feel any better, I have a bad middle name too."  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I kinda like Ezra."  
  
Brendan propped himself up onto his elbow and narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"  
  
Emmett smirked. "I have my sources."  
  
"Freya?"  
  
"No. When I told Rodney we were a couple, he hacked your files."  
  
"What?"  
  
Emmett pushed Brendan onto his back. "You told me to keep him occupied and it's a hobby of his."  
  
"Breaching national security is a hobby?"  
  
Emmett straddled Brendan and leaned down to kiss him. "Well you are talking about a guy who built a nuclear bomb in sixth grade or as they say up north, grade six."  
  
This had to be the weirdest conversation they'd ever had in bed. "Nuclear bomb?"  
  
Emmett nodded his head. "It was a non-working model. But it did lead to his first job which happened to be with the CIA."  
  
"What did you do in sixth grade?"  
  
"Nothing quite as dramatic. I did however get suspended for bringing a poisonous snake on school property."  
  
Brendan raised an eyebrow.  
  
"It was a young pit viper. It wasn't like it even had enough venom to kill anyone stupid enough to put their hand in the cage."  
  
"Sometimes you scare me."  
  
"I'll take that as a compliment. Rodney and I bonded that summer over the lack of vision of our schools' science departments."  
  
Brendan slid his hands up Emmett's back and brought the other man's mouth to his and soon all talk of cousins and science fairs ceased. 

~*~*~*~*~ 

Watching Bob Wraith being loaded into a police car felt like a victory to Brendan, even if he still had no clue what was really going on out on Athos Island. At least Emmett's cousin was in the clear and wouldn't have to worry about threats or another attempted buyout from the so-called Wraith Corporation. Plus, no one even got shot, so it was a win in his book. But he still wanted to know what the truth was.  
  
It seemed Emmett wanted the same answer. "So if you aren't cooking up meth on the island out back and slaughtering people who stumble upon your operation, what exactly is going on out there?"  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
Brendan went with the truth. "Well, we've got time. And the sooner you tell us, the sooner we get out of your hair."  
  
"Her name was Teyla Emmegan and she was working on her doctorate in cultural anthropology."  
  
Emmett nudged Rodney with his shoulder. "The soft sciences?"  
  
Rodney eyes got big. "I know? Can you believe it? But she was smart and funny and didn't seem to mind my complete lack of social skills. She said it was refreshing to know I could never hide my honest opinion. I told her that her research was malarkey. She laughed and pointed out that the same sort of remarks were made about Einstein because the majority of the world couldn't comprehend his theories."  
  
"You let her talk about Einstein that way? It must have been love."  
  
Rodney didn't reply, but the answer was written all over his face. "So one day, this woman comes to the Museum and goes in to see Teyla and they go out to the island together. I never spend much time out there."  
  
Freya gave Rodney a knowing smile. "Too much nature."  
  
"Exactly. I went a few times with Teyla as she worked on translating the inscriptions on the altar, but I never paid much attention. It seems that it was in some sort of antiquated language. Older than Latin or Aramaic."  
  
Brendan attempted to get Rodney back on track. "So Teyla and this woman?"  
  
Rodney took a deep breath and exhaled. "Teyla came back alone. I asked what had happened to her friend and Teyla told me the truth. Not that I believed her at first. It was too crazy to even comprehend. I thought she'd had some sort of psychotic break."  
  
"What happened?" Emmett asked.  
  
Rodney glared at his cousin. "The woman meditated at the altar then seemed to start to glow from within. After chanting some words in a language long dead, her body vanished and all that was left was the light which hovered for a few moments before floating off into the sky."  
  
"I can see why you thought she was crazy," Emmett deadpanned.  
  
"I know, I didn't believe it until I witnessed it myself."  
  
Brendan still didn't believe it. "So what you're telling me McKay is that aliens made them do it?"  
  
Rodney shook his head. "Why are you looking at me like I'm insane. You would think someone with a telepath as a partner would understand that the world isn't as small or simple as it appears. But to answer your question, no the aliens aren't making them do it, they are evolving to a higher plane of existence is the best I can explain it."  
  
"They?" Thank God Freya wasn't freaking out like he was.  
  
Rodney looked at Freya and smiled. "There was a race of people that came before us, the anthropologists call them the Ancients. They were under attack from an enemy and fled their home world. They ended up here. Now something on that island is calling their descendants home."  
  
Brendan still wasn't buying it. "And when you say home?"  
  
"Teyla called it ascension. They shed their physical form and become pure energy and in that form can go anywhere in the known universe and beyond."  
  
Okay that was enough. "There are drugs to help you with your delusions."  
  
Emmett put his hand on Brendan's shoulder and looked at Freya for support. "Brendan, I hate to say it, but I think he's right."  
  
"Has everyone here lost their ever loving mind?"  
  
Freya shook her head. "Those two girls we found meditating on the island, their thoughts were different Brendan. Pure somehow. They were uncluttered. Peaceful."  
  
And here Brendan just chalked their feel goodiness to hypothermia. "So why didn't those girls go all glowy?"  
  
Rodney spoke up. "It's a process that can take years, I guess. Something on the island, something about the altar draws the descendants here, but those who ascend have to be ready."  
  
"And Teyla was?" Leave it to Emmett to go for the jugular. Brendan wasn't a mind reader but he could feel the pain radiating off of Rodney.  
  
Rodney nodded. "More than ready. She'd waited her whole life. She loved me. I know she did, but she needed to know where she came from, why she had all these visions of a world she'd never seen. I couldn't ask her to give that up."  
  
And that was another thing that Emmett and his cousin shared. When they loved, they did so unconditionally. Brendan's heart ached for Rodney.  
  
"She was beautiful and I don't just mean on the outside and I would have done anything for her. In fact, I still would."  
  
Emmett pulled his cousin into a hug. "Hence the wrangling control of the Museum and the grounds from Wraith Enterprises."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Something came back to Brendan. "Those girls called you the guardian of the light?"  
  
Rodney shook his head. "I'd hoped you guys would have forgotten that."  
  
Freya smiled. "Brendan never forgets anything. What does it mean?"  
  
"Before Teyla ascended she said that I had the most important job of all. It was my duty to make sure that the tribe of the Ancients were able to continue their right of passage. She said that by my doing so, that I would be rewarded and that reward would be her return. I promised Teyla that I'd make sure no one would desecrate the island. It was holy ground to her."  
  
Emmett hugged his cousin again. "You always keep your promises."  
  
Rodney nodded. "I don't know if I believe it that she will return some day, but I really *want* to."  
  
Brendan knew what it was like to lose the person you loved most in the world. The year he spent without Emmett was hell and he knew he was damn lucky that he got him back, so he'd do whatever he could to help make sure that Rodney had the chance to find out if Teyla would return.  
  
Hell, since Freya and Emmett burst into his life, Brendan's had to learn to accept quite a few unexplainable things. His work partner can read minds and his lover has a 70-ft Scarlett Queen Boa named Betty, so really people turning into pure energy and floating off to nowhere isn't really as much of a stretch as it should be. Come to think of it, finding out he was in love with a guy named Meredith was really the biggest kicker of all. Of course, he was in love with Emmett when he didn't think he had a first name at all, so he'd learn to adjust. And if he could, then the good folks of Chicago would just have to live with the mystery of Athos Island for a while longer. And with Rodney now in complete control of the Museum and the surrounding areas, he had no doubt the Ancients or whoever the hell they were would be able to continue their pilgrimage for years to come.  
  
But most of all, he hoped that Rodney got his happy ending, and not just because he was Emmett's cousin. Love, real love was more rare than mind readers or enormous snakes and Emmett would call him sappy, but everyone deserved the chance to experience it. So he'd take it on faith that Teyla would return to Rodney just like Emmett came back to him.  
  
If that meant people would call _him_ crazy, so be it. He'd been called worse. 

  


**Author's Note:**

>   
> _**Presumed Dead**  
>  The National Science and Space Museum is a (fictional) Chicago landmark, but there's always been an air of mystery about the small island behind the building, where nearly 200 people have disappeared since the beginning of the century. A drug bust gone wrong refocuses public attention on the long-forgotten disappearances, and Commander Larry Cole, leader of the doomed drug bust, becomes curious about those who have vanished. But there's more to worry about than disappearing Chicagoans--a sleazy local developer has decided to turn the museum grounds into another Disneyland, and the museum's curator is determined to stop him at any cost. When Cole and an attractive female detective team up, they discover an incredible secret hidden behind the museum's famous facade._
>
>> 


End file.
